Flexible binder-post for loose-leaf books.



. H. C. MILLER.

' FLEXIBLE BINDER' POST FOR' LOOSE LEAF BOOKS.

` APPLICATION FILED MAY'22,1916.

Patented Nov. 20, i917.

5E d w @mam/ml:

HENRY c."ivritritsn, or MILWAUKEE, wisconsin; n

YFLEXIBLE `BINDER- POST `"son Loose-LEAF Books# fairness,

. Application inea May 2,2, 191e, serial no.' 99,121,

ToaZZ/whom t may concern: y

Be it known .that LHEN'RYYC. MILLER, a citizenl of the United. States, 'and resident of Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and'tate of Wisconsim havel invented certain new and useful Improvements in Flexible Binder-Posts for LoosefLeaf Books; and y I do hereby decla-re that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

lThe present invention relates to newand useful improvements in flexible binder posts,

bodied in. Patent No.' me Sept. 9, 191,3. Y

It is primarily the object of the present 1,072,867 grantedY to invention to-'provide a. sheathing for theen-v tire body portion of` a flexible binderpost which is of metal or'other essentially nonpliable 'material presenting a hard smooth surface to the edges. ofthe leaf apertures- `whereby' the manipulation of the leaves with respect to the posts is facilitated, and which -includes portions so connectedasnotto interfere with freeflexure of the posts.

Flexible posts of the 'present nature usually comprise a resilient strip vnormally holding-the posts .against curvature, and in view of the fact that such spring strips are liable to breakage, it is further an object possible breakage of the strips,

to provide anA arrangement whereby` upon the general assembly of the various parts of the posts will notbe affected so -that the post may continue to serve its normal function inthe book, with the exception of its spring action.

The essential feature of the present invention is the provision of a series of oblong sheathing bands surrounding the body of the post and hingedly connected whereby to permit the normal flexure of the post.

This hinged connection of the bands may be procured either by their positioning about the flexible body member, or by pivots connecting thebands and numerous variations of structure may be procured.

In' the accompanying. drawing several types are shown, each embodying, however, the essential feature'of hingedly connected transverseseries of sheathing loops disposed about a longitudinal body portion of the post.

Figures l and 2 show side and edge views respectively of a binder post provided with transverse sheathing bands which are procured.

Fig. 5 shows "similar to the post of Figs. 1 and 2. for loose leaf books of the general type emvreceive the pintle-r'ods of the book Specification of Letters Patent. Pabimtrgd 2Q, "Z,

upon the body-member of the post.

vFig. 3 isa view Fig.- 6 is .a ltransverse sectional view ,through this post on'the lines 6-6 of Fig. 5. F ig. 7 isa view showingv still' another` form of post wherein the "sheathing bands are .formedby a coiled strip.

Fig 8 1s a vt ransverse sectional viewv 'hingedlyvconnected'f by their positioning of another type of, structure includingsheathingbands connected through this post on the line 8 8 4of Fig. 7

Referring 4now more particularly to the .structure of Figs l and 2, the .post therein sheathingbands 5.V

shown comprises end formed of plates bent 'inU-shape to embrace .the ends of the post body, which in this instance comprises an-intermediate metalstrip- 6 and side fillerA strips 7 of leather or other4 slightly 'extensible material, rivets 8 secur ying'the vends of the post-within the plates. The sides ofthe plates are directed inwardly to form the edge wall portions ofthe bands, i

vbights of the-plates are apertured to provide,

and the ends of these wall portions at the the usualend channels 9 of the posts which body.'- Disposed between the end bands 5 are a series of sheathing bands 1 0I of oblong crosssection to correspond to the. cross-section of v the post body and the Aadjacent ends of theseY A bands and of the end'bands 5, are oppositely beveled and lapped whereby to present a substantially continuous `smooth surface Afacilitating manipulation vof. the loose leaves with respect' to the posts. To facilitate vrelative pivotal movement of the bands the end edge portions ofthe bands are rounded for mutual pivotal `sliding engagement, the rounding of certain end edge band portions being procured byconvexl extending the end edges to' fit in conca've yicut away end edge portions of other bands;

. Thus lthe post may be flexed to either side andthe smooth surface afforded. by the Y sheathing bands will be` substantially retained. ln .the present structure the hinged connection of the loops is procured by their disposal on the iexiblebody, although as Il will be .shown in other forms o f posts, .otherhinged; connections may 'be p'roour'ed.

' Should., the" springtrip dibreak, it will be 1'0 Y Fig. v3, there are provided intermediate 'y sheathing bands "11, a central sheathing band."

12, and end sheathing bands 13. Forjref i ".fnoted that kthe leather strips 7 which, are

rivetedto the, end b anl'sj'willl serve to retain vthe normal assembly 'of the posts, so thatV it may still serve its general function, the in termediate bands being retained on'th'e postV by abutment'with-the end bands.

Taking up now the.type of pst shown in ceiving the pintle' rodpf the book body, the Aouter end edge portion of eachsend band 13 is provided with aliningopenings 14. The

inner side portions of these'end -b'ands, to"

' gether withl the side portions of the .central band 12 areintermediately cut away as at 15. Disposed transversely in Yeach band l1 "is vlooped plate. 16 having its end portions' extended pastlthe sidesv of the band,'and intermediatelycut awayn at 17.` When the bands are placed together, the cut away portions 1 7- of .the loop members together with the cu't away portions of the bands 12 and 13 provide .a transverse space through the post structure whereby a tool-'member may be in;

serted ,to permit a proper heading of rrivets 1,8 passed through the` outer end portions of the loops 1G and through th`e adjacent" end .portions of the bands 12 and 13. The loops- 16 are secured in their respective sheathing bands bytransverse rivets 19 .passed theref,

thrugh, and thus the bands arey hingedly held in` assembled relation. AExtended lon-' gitudinally through the series of loops thus connected is a spring strip' 20' which is frietionally held by engagement in the loops 16,. it being observed that these loops serve to a considerable extent as body filler portions for the posts, although in the p rese'nt innstance the body proper of the post is construed as the spring strip' 20. l,

.The form of post shown'in Fig. el embodies' sheathing band members which, however,

by their method of construction and general' 'formation assumethe nature of link blocks,

although they are in effect sheathing bands for the spring body s tructure, and are so termed to accord in terminology with'the structure heretofore described. This'post lcomprisesend bands 21 to which are conf nected. bands 22 connected in turn by a cen- `tral band 23, although it is appreciated that any number of .alternately arranged bands 22`and 23 could be employed. Each of the b'and blocks is providedgvith a .series of channels 24 extending longitudinally .with respect to the posts as a lwhole and adapted to aline with the channels of the other band blocks for the reception of spring members 25, extending longitudinally through the posts and terminating, however, short of the outer ends ofthe end links, to provide ment upon flexure of the post.`

isxprovided iii-.-

clearance .for pir'itle'rod` 'channelsl 26 formed therein. 'In the present instance'threeof-.- these spring members are`shown,'in the'form of spring rods, although a single stri`p,or a .plurality'of strips .cou-ld as fwellbe utilized, these spring rods in th forming the bodyof the post.v

rlhe adjacentedge portions `ing:engagement',. as heretofore -set' o`ut in connection with the bands 'of the.A previous types of posts.

structure of Figs. 1` and2 and there4 are proj-g .The structure shown in Figs. 5i" aiid 6" ar-el: i Vsimilar- ;many respects l* to the. type, of'

"vided end sheathing bands-27-.corespond ingto the' end band members of this other type, and vprovided with 'th'e 'usualpintle rod channels-21"."- .The body of' this po/st epmprises as spring' strip 28 having its end 'por-v tions :bent inwardl'y`af1d disposed in slid;

able lappedrelation4 to form aloop having its end portions disposed' within the end sheathing .bands27 and' embracing an interf mediate flexible fller'body 29, the ller bodyl and loop ends being "secured in the. ,endv bands 27 byrivetsSOf Disposed aboutthe body betweenthe end sheathing bands-are avseries of sheathing bands )l andthe edge age'` iIi abutting exure of the portions of these loops eng relation. T hus to4 permit posts with this type `of sl 1eathing'loop'l itis necessarythat the combined width' of lthe loops: be less than1the distance .between the end 4sheathing loops'whereby the .loops may. have longitudinal sliding movement onthe body to compensate for'their hinge move,-v

In Figs. -7 and 8 a post cluding end 4sheathing ba'nds 31- receiving the ends of a" body spring strip I32 andliavling solid outerhead portions provided with` the usual pintlerod channels 33. The inteimediate sheathing band o f this present structure is procured by a flattened` coil .34 havbands. Thus each coil. of the strip forms a sheathing band for the-spring body strip;

. Although .severalfembodiments of the in' l vention have been described, it is' apparent that .still other forms' Vcould be rocur'ed without departing in. any mannerf rom the spirit ofthe invention, which contemplates' as heretofore stated,l Iessentially 'the pro-iv 120 vision of a flexible binder .post provided with a metallic or similarly 'non-pliable sheathing, transversely hinge 'jointed to.

permit free flex'ure of the pos`t',1andl to compensate forhthe essentially'greater lengthof that side surface of the post .which is dis-'g posed in a relatively large arc when the posti.'

is llexed.

"I am aware that the provisionfof 'ame-v tallic 'sheathing for flexible binder posts has been contemplated andlatent No.V 1,056,926:-

110. ing' its ends secured to the end 'sheathing able disadvantage.

naines@ granted tome March 25, 1913, embodies a structure ai'ording a metallic sheathing of certain sorts. The structure of this post and constitutes considerable inconvenience. Also \it is necessary in this type/'of structure to provide for a relatively longitudinal sliding movement of portions of the plates with re*- plications of the device entails a consider- I claim:

ble in one plane only, and a transversely 'hinge-jointed sheathing for the body. 20

longitudinal body flexible in one plane only and a series of hingedly connected transverse sheathing bands disposed thereabout.

. 3. A flexible binder post comprising end transverse sheathing bands, intermediatebands, a longitudinal.

transverse sheathin resilient body iexi le'in one plane only,

- disposedv Within the bands and` means connecting the bandsin a manner permitting relative pivotal movement thereof.

4. A flexible binder post comprising end transverse sheathing bands,- intermediate resilientbody, flex disposed Within the bands and means inde- 3 .pendent loi" the resilient body for connecting pivotal movement.

` sliding engagement. 2. A`fiexib1e binder post comprising a" transverse sheathin) bands, a longitudinal 1 le in one plane only,

the lbands in a manner -permitting relative 5. A flexible binder post comprising a body flexible in one plane onlyg'andaseries of hngedly connected transverse'-foblong Vsheathing 'bands disposed rthereabout and having their end portionsfroundfedfor A tual pivotal sliding engagement. spect to the body, which in commercial apf 6. A flexible binder postf'oomprising a bodyiexible in one planeonly and a series of -hingedly connected transverse sheathing bands disposed thereabbut, with their side"y l. A flexible post comprising a body flem'- edges in lapped relation, and with their endv edge portions rounded for mutualpivotal 79A flexible bin-der post comprising a' body including a resilient strip, pliable and slightly extensible strips at the sides of the resilient strip, sheathing bands disposedr about thev -ends of the strips and secured thereto` and aseries of intermediate sheath ing bands disposed about thebody.

` In testimony that I claiin the foregoing l have hereunto set my hand at Milwaukee,

in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin.' v

HENRY o. MILLER; 

